Hamas and Israel have agreed to Phase 1 of a Peace Deal. The news was welcomed with great joy by Palestinians and Israelis.

In Orkney the Peace campaigners who have met every Saturday since the end of October 2023 will again come together today on the Kirk Green, Broad Street, Kirkwall between 1 and 2pm to welcome the Peace Deal with hopes that this will be a lasting peace.

The Peace Deal put forward by US President Donald Trump will see the release of the 48 remaining hostages held by Hamas, 20 of whom may still be alive. In return it is hoped that 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in Israeli prisons will be released as part of the deal, alongside 1,700 Palestinians from Gaza, and all Palestinian women and children detained by Israel.

Israeli forces are to draw back to an agreed line within Gaza.

While many details are still to be agreed – this is only Phase 1 of what President Trump declared will be a lasting peace. However, aid has still to reach the thousands of starving Gazans and an estimated 50,000 children suffering acute malnutrition.

Even on Friday morning Gaza was still under attack from Israeli bombs killing and maiming.

UN agencies have 170,000 metric tons of food, medicine and other supplies ready to deliver into Gaza. Juliette Touma, Director of Communications for the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, called for all crossings into Gaza to be opened so that humanitarian aid and medical support can get in.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged all States to ensure that the ceasefire is implemented in good faith. He said:

“All action going forward must be guided by the immediate goals of ending the killing, starvation and destruction.” 

All those who wish to join the islanders in Orkney on the Kirk Green in their hopes for this being a lasting peace should meet between 1 and 2pm today, Saturday 11 October.

Last Saturday’s vigil went ahead despite the best efforts of Storm Amy to prevent folk attending as all public transport was off and gale force winds buffeted those who came out.

Fiona Grahame